Raging Speedhorn to release album “Night Wolf” via Spinefarm Records/UMG on March 6th 2025
Legendary UK metallers return with ‘Night Wolf’, their seventh studio album, released in March 2025 on Spinefarm
“A joyful explosion of heavy metal blood 'n' thunder, informed by Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Black Flag and 50 years of enormous, cranium-busting riffs” – Blabbermouth
“Imagine High On Fire in a high-speed collision with The Bronx and you’d be partway to describing the swagger and freneticism Speedhorn effortlessly invoke” – Metal Hammer
Raging Speedhorn – the pioneers of UK down-tuned epic sludge rock – return with their incendiary new album ‘Night Wolf’ released on new label Spinefarm.
Featuring 10 tracks of the sextet’s ferocious, riff-centred metal that’s packed with strength, power, and, ultimately, song-driven groove, Raging Speedhorn are once again ready to provide an antidote to mediocrity and pedestrian radio-rock.
Joining the Spinefarm roster – which includes heavyweights While She Sleeps, Employed To Serve and Bullet For My Valentine – ‘Night Wolf’ is a new chapter in the continued legacy of Raging Speedhorn.
‘Night Wolf’ is an album that perfectly captures the magic Raging Speedhorn have been concocting over their 25-year plus career. Flitting between sludge, crushing doom and high-energy dirt-fuelled rock ‘n’ roll riffs, the sextet have matured like a fine wine and honed their craft to a new level.
‘Night Wolf’ is the first album to feature new guitarist Daf Williams who joins founding members Frank Regan (vocals), Gordon Morison (drums) and mainstays Jim Palmer (guitar), Andy Gilmour (bass – who also plays with UK post-hardcore legends Hundred Reasons) and second vocalist Dan Cook.
This reinvigorated line-up sees Raging Speedhorn not only capture the spirit of the band’s DNA but push their own musical boundaries and swagger into new uncharted territories.
“I think it's more of a progression of the last record,” states ringleader Morison, “that's what we've gone for really. When we first got back together after our hiatus, we didn't really know what we wanted to do. [2016’s] ‘Lost Ritual’ came quite quickly, because we didn't have enough time to write it. With [2020’s] ‘Hard To Kill’, we took more time to do it, and with ‘Night Wolf’ we've taken a lot of time to do it really, we just wanted to make sure it was right this time. It's probably the longest we've ever taken to write a record; we wanted to make sure it was just right and we were happy with it before we went in to record.”
‘Night Wolf’ has allowed all members of the band to get involved in the song-writing process, reflecting the tight gang-like mentality that cements Raging Speedhorn together as a creative entity.
“When it comes to writing we, all come up with ideas and then we bring them all together in one room,” explains Morison. “Everyone is writing to their strengths so when we get in a room we have all sorts of riffs and then we sort of go from there really.”
Additionally, album number seven has given co-vocalist Dan the opportunity to fully add his own unique stamp on the sextext. While ‘Hard To Kill’ saw Dan replace long-standing co-vocalist John Loughlin, who stood down after 21 years during the recording process, the album had already been partially recorded during Loughlin’s departure.
This time around Dan, who is no stranger to the band and its fans – he has stood in for both Frank and John over the years when needed – was involved from the get-go.
“Dan and Frank just worked really well together and this time all the lyrics had been written by the time we were ready to record, which usually never ever happens to Speedhorn,” laughs Morison. “It feels a lot better with Dan because he's more involved in the writing process and in everything to do with the band, which makes it a lot easier. He's definitely put his stamp on this record, I'd say a more aggressive tone too.”
Recorded with Russ Russell (Napalm Death, At The Gates, Dimmu Borgir) at Parlour Studios in Kettering, UK, the relationship between RSH and Russell has been honed over many years – he has produced the Pledge Music-released ‘Lost Ritual’ and ‘Hard To Kill’.
“Russ really captures what we want to achieve and understands the band. We always work well together and, frankly, I wouldn’t want to record with anyone else at this stage,” notes Morison.
The end result is an album demonstrating a finely tuned song-writing finesse throughout, that once again makes the sextet stand out like diamonds.
Morison describes the opening track – ‘Blood Red Sky’ – one of two songs penned by Williams, as the album’s “most brutal” song and sets the tone of the album’s intent.
He says: “When Daf played this song to Frank and the boys we knew instantly it had to be on the album, it gives the band an updated edge. We didn’t change it at all, we just recorded how it was written and it sounds immense.”
The up-tempo bounce of second track ‘Buzz Killa’, which Morison says is one of his personal favourites, is swiftly followed by ‘The Blood Code’ which invokes a more traditional dirty and slower old-school RSH vibe.
“I don't want to go back down that route of that doomy stuff completely, because the last record was quite upbeat and we wanted to keep on that track as we have really found that path works, but ‘The Blood Code’ does fit the sound of the record and I think fans of the older material will dig this,” he notes.
Elsewhere, ‘Every Night’s Alright For Fighting’ packs a hardcore punch to the face, while the thunderous ‘Comin’ In Hard’ features a Jerry Lee Lewis-esque piano boogie, composed and played by Andy.
“It's got a Queens of the Stone Age kind of vibe to that one, I would say,” smiles Morison. “We came up with the idea on the spot in the studio and we were like ‘Should we do it?’, and Andy was like, ‘Let me’. He just went in and did it in one take. It’s nice to be able to change things up and add to our sound. I love it!”
‘Night Wolf’’s artwork was created by Dominic Sohor, who worked on both ‘Lost Ritual’ and ‘Hard To Kill’ and realised by Daf, who works as a graphic artist. Paying homage to an era of 80s Hollywood blockbuster movies, the video to the title track is a pastiche of the Michael J. Fox movie and features a cameo by Morison’s daughter Daisy.
“Teen Wolf and Back To The Future were some of my favourite all time movies as a kid, I loved them,” laughs Morison. “We were going for that whole Teen Wolf vibe, like the 80s kind of thing. We didn't want it to look like a metal album, we've done all that, and we thought it’d be nice to just do something a little bit different. Again, it carries on from the vibe of the last record and its 80s horror movie vibe. It’s important to have a record which stands out as much as you possibly can… and it definitely does.”
Since the release of their eponymous debut in 2000, RSH have enjoyed a career built on stunning, unhinged, raucous live shows and albums to boot. They’ve played countless worldwide shows and festivals, sharing stages with Slipknot, Clutch, Biohazard, Enter Shikari, Skindred, earthtone9 and many more.
Notably, RSH opened up the infamous 2001 UK Ozzfest at Milton Keynes Bowl, playing in front of 50,000 metalheads; they received Kerrang! Award nominations; spent a night behind bars in Spain while on tour with Biohazard; and caused havoc during the 2002 Kerrang! Awards in London, resulting in Placebo’s Brian Molko joining in on the action and flipping over the band’s alcohol-laden table.
‘Hard To Kill’ was released during the global pandemic on the band’s own label Red Weed Records. Navigating the difficulties that ensued during that time, ‘Hard To Kill’ was RSH’s biggest release in years and made numerous UK chart appearances: #11 Rock & Indie Chart, #7 Indie Breakers Chart, #26 indie charts, and #95 physical charts – the first time the band had chart success since 2001 – all without the backing of a record label!
Having started in their original hometown of Corby, while its members are now spread across the Midlands and South Wales, the teenage spirit of rebellion and kicking against the pricks still lies in the heart of Raging Speedhorn.
With ‘Night Wolf’ the band is as ferocious and ready to rumble as ever.
“I love being in this band, it's the only thing I've done for this long and I love playing music with these guys,” states Morison. “Why would I want to stop? It's in your blood, you can't stop. We were kids when we started, and it seems like I blinked and I'm still here doing this. We have a new album, a new deal, and if you think about it, there's not many bands from when we first started that are still going like we are.
“It's about chemistry and not giving a fuck and just believing in what you want to do. Honestly, it's been the best being in a band with these guys, it's just so easy. Every now and then there's a bit of a bicker, but there's never ever any arguments between us anymore, which I think is good. We all just get on really well, we love writing, we love hanging out, it just feels great. I wouldn't want to be in a band with anyone else, and that's half the battle there, isn't it?”
As the saying goes, you can’t keep a good thing down.
